Vehicle suspension.



T. A. KLENKE.

VEHICLE SUSPENSION.

APPLIOATION HILBD man, 1913.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Mnl/wu @WML @umfate/c THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTU-LITHO., WSH INGTON. D4 C.

" STATS PAT THEOD'ORE A. KLENKE, OF NEW YORK.

VEHICLE SUSPENSION.

I "application mea February 11, 1913.I i serial Np. 747,62?.k

To all whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, 'IHEoDonn A. KLENK, a'citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of New York, inthe county and State of New York,

`,sions and to the use of pneumatic bags in the running gear between the` axle and the body. i

It 1s of especial valueiin connection with automobiles. Its object is to enable a pneumatic bagto be used in` combination with a spring, such asnthe ordinaryl leaf spring, in

`a'simple andl e'ective'manner, giving -full play to the resiliencyofboth the spring and the pneumatic bag Aand permitting the axle and body Vto rise land fall kvertically with referencefto each other, and'givin'g full play bag while at thesame time reducing to a minimumstrains or stresses that would otherwise pass through the bag and tend to disl flipt ,t-

binations herein shown and described;

In the drawings accompanying this specication andV forming parti hereof, I have shown myinvention in ,its Kpreferred form and `as embodied in` an automobile.

,Referring 4to such specific embodiment as thus shown, Figurell is aside elevation-of` apart of the chassis or body of the car withl the nearer wheels and some of their connectand ing parts-removed for purposes ofclearness, andishowingmy improved device as applied inits 4preferred form to an automobile ;f Fig.

2 is a vertical cross-section taken on'.r the lines" tiontaken onthe lines 3-3 of Fig.A ,1.

or bodyA of the car, the front axle, and 3 the rear axle.

which, as shown, vare ordinary leaffsprings.

6 is a pneumatic bag carried between two supports, a lower support 7 connected to the spring, upon which; support the bagrests, anupper support Sconnected to the vbody of, the` car and pressingupon thebag.. v the lower' supp'ft? is suspended' As shown vbe placed at the inthe vnovel devices and com- ENT OFFICE. VYORK, N ASSIGNOR TO KLENKE CUSHION COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW i of` arms 9, 9 pivoted at 10 to a stud 11 irr- -closed and fast in the curled up'end 12 of one end of spring 4 or 5x Preferablythe pneumatic'bag is suspended from the rear end ofeach spring matic bag'may be of each spring. lAs the connections in such although if desired it may l ,i opposite end, or a pneu`- suspended from each end a case would be a mere duplication of those shown, I have `not illustrated them in .the

drawings.

ample, as shown by means of plates 13, 13,

The springs maybe secured'to'y `the, axles by (any, suitable means, for eX-` clips14, 1 4 andnuts 15, 15p. Thefforward end of sprlng 4 as shown in the drawings, is

pivoted to the downwardly bowed forward end of the body at the pointvl. The for- :m11 ,s ward end of the rear spring 5 is pivoted at to the lvertical compression of the'pneumatic A' ed to thelunder side ofthe body.

tively to each other, and permitting slight i' body at 20. Theupper support 8 isfast. l `withthe body 1. "As shown, it is carried by 1 i a downwardlyiprojecting standard 21 bolt...

.I provide connections between the two",V supports 7 and 8 permitting l between them to compress the as the axleand body of the car'move relavertical play bag variably y longitudinal movementbetween the two supports 7 and 8. These connections, however, l.

prevent all other relative `movements be Q tween the two supports, for the purpose of preventing or reducing to a minimum the `strains or stresses that otherwisewouldpass ythrough thepneumatic bag 6 and disrupt it. `These connections, as shown, ,consist of the curely in place bv nut 22 and shoulder 23 on `arms l9'pivoted on the stud 11 and held 'seva m 4stud`11,and by links 24, 24 pivoted at their .l

lower end to stud 11 and supported and con- .Y

in standard 21A and passing throughy a slot vested ami auisgifuainn play,

. `nected atptheir upper end to standard 21 byA l means of a pin 25 passingthrough and fast :.26 ineach link 24, the parts being held in place by means of anut 27 and collar 28 onpin25. Through these connections between".

theupper and lower support or theparts to Y which they are connected, all lateral play 'between the tvo Suprert. is, ffsstuellynrfa except to a very limited degree as the spring length- `ens orfcontracts. In this` way side' strains" and stresses through the bag are etfectually prevented and all longitudinal strains are reduced to a minimum. It-:is well known that when a pneumatic bag is subjected vto such strains and stresses it will very rapidly disrupt, making it wholly unfitted for use lin vehicle suspensionswhere subjected to such strains and stresses. In order to further lreduce any small strains due to the aforesaid small longitudinal relative motion of the two supports, I` preferably make the upper plate f8 flat and the lower plate 7 convex in longitudinal section and concave as viewed in.'cro'ss-section; and preferably make the bag', with an upper convex surface `so as readily to roll on the upper plate and with its lower surface ,convex in .longitudinal lsection land concave in crosssection` tocorrey. spend .with .the shape of lower support 7.

I also preferably connect the lower 'support 7 tothe end of the spring pivotally 'so that lowers'upport 7 isfree to swing longitudinally t0A a certain extent.

-. a By the Labove means, as the spring length-` ."ens or .shorts-us, the longitudinal strain or stress j likely to be occasioned in the bag thereby is reduced-to a minimum and is largely., if not entirely, compensated for in urious effect by the slight rocking of the 'lower support and of the bag with it on account of. their cooperating shapes and the rollingof the upper surface of the bag on` the under surface of the upper .supportl This prevents any injurious effects from be-` ."ingproduced byl any slight longitudinal .play ofthe two ysupports relative toeachv other.

The. formof -standard preferably used for the upper support for the rear of the car 'is shownas of slightly diierentshape from thev Standard 21l for l,the upper support at the front of the car, as clearly appears in Fig. 3; but otherwise the connections with the lower support are the same.

" 29 yrepresents the ordinary valve or'the pneumatic bag by means of which, it may be blown up when necessary. In practice I find,

it necessary to carry only a relatively low pressure in the pneumatic bag, far below "that requiredun'pneumatic .tires for auto` mobiles; and in practice v.I Vfind that this vpressure vrarely has to be renewed. Of

course, ,the pneumatic bags are not subject to puncture and-there is very little wear or tear "upon them.l Their life is practically as long as if not longer. than that of the car itself.

30, 30 are the wheels, as provided with solid tires 31, 31. By means of my improvement very simcpl and 'efficient cushioning means are provi forjthe ca-r, enabling the dispensing with and these are shown.

bag and connected wi h the body of the vel pneumatic tires on the wheels; springs and -pneumaticbags' :can be' used in connection with one another, 'eachworking Yat its 'best vadvantage without any interference with the other; pneumatic bags can be used .with-'Jl hout kany tendency to 'disrupt themthrough strains or stresses passing through the bags;

- and the resilient means employed are simple andA can be readilyl connected to any car `Without `great diiiiculty and at relatively low cost.

What I claim as new and desire to secureA by Letters Patent, is': l

l. Ina vehicle, l.the combination of a spring carried by the axle, a pneumatic bag provided with a convex upper surface, a.` lower support for the bag ivotally con*- nected to one end of `the spring, a hat uiper plate support 'for the bag .fast with tie" bodyv and pressing upon the .bag,. and con#l nections between the .two supports jI'Jern'iitting play vertically and :slightly longitudinally between them but preventing all'other relative Vmovement between `*the two supspring carried by the axle, a pneumatic Vbag providedwith a convex upper surface, and

providedl with a lower surface yconvex in lon-` Vgitudinal section and concave incr'ossseci tion, a lower support for the bag convex in longitudinal section and concave in cross sectiony to conform to thelower surface ofv the pneumatic bag and pivotally connected to one end vof the spring, a Hat .upper support fortlie bag connected to the body .and pressing upon the bag, and connections between the two ,supports permitting 'vertical "plajyV and a slight longitudinal playl between 'themV but preventing 5all other relative movement between thetwo supports, whereby all side strains and stresses through the pneumatic bag :will be eliminated. and longitudinal. stresses be reduced to a minimum and be compensated for by the rolling action ofthe bagagainst the upper support.

` 3. In 4a vehicle suspension, thecornbin'a-- tion of a pneumaticbag convex on itsupper surface and on'fits lower surface convex in longitudinal section and concave in cross section, a lower. support connected.l to the axle land pivotally supported, and on its u p per surface conforming t0 theshape oft e under sideof the pncumato` bag 'so as to 'securely hold the bag in place on the support,

and flat upper support resting upon the taie, whereby longitudinal. de

matic bag will be reduced to a minimum or compensated 'for by the swin `ng of the lower support and the bag wit it and the 5 rolling of the latter on the flat under surface of the upper support.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my stresses tending `to pass through the pneu-` name to this specification, in the presence of two subscrlbing wltnesses.

` THEODORE A. KLENKE.

Witnesses: EDWIN SEGER, JOHN O. GEMPLER.

Copies of thil patent may be obtsinedtor ave cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Intenta,

Washington, D. C. 

